彼得後書 2

假先知和假教師

1 從前在民間有假先知起來；同樣，將來在你們中間也會有假教師，偷偷地引進使人滅亡的異端。他們甚至不認買他們的主人，自取迅速滅亡。 2 許多人會隨從他們淫蕩的行為，以致真理之道因他們的緣故被毀謗。 3 他們因貪婪，要用捏造的言語在你們身上取得利益。他們的懲罰，自古以來並不遲延；他們的滅亡也必迅速來到。

4 既然上帝沒有寬容犯了罪的天使，反而把他們丟在地獄裏，囚禁在幽暗中等候審判； 5 既然上帝也沒有寬容上古的世界，曾叫洪水臨到那不敬虔的世界，只保護了報公義信息的挪亞一家八口； 6 既然上帝判決了所多瑪和蛾摩拉，將二城傾覆t，焚燒成灰，作為後世不敬虔人的鑒戒， 7 只搭救了那常為惡人的淫蕩憂傷的義人羅得— 8 因為那義人住在他們當中，他正義的心因天天看見和聽見他們不法的事而傷痛； 9 那麼，主知道搭救敬虔的人脫離試煉，把不義的人留在懲罰之下等候審判的日子， 10 尤其那些隨從肉體、放縱污穢的情慾、藐視主的權威的人更是如此。 他們膽大任性，無懼地毀謗眾尊榮者；

11 就是天使，雖然力量權能更大，在對他們宣告從主來的審判的時候還不用毀謗的話t。 12 但這些人好像沒有理性的牲畜，生來就是要被捉拿宰殺的。他們毀謗自己所不知道的事，正在敗壞人的時候，自己也遭遇敗壞， 13 為所行的不義受不義的工錢。他們喜愛白晝狂歡，他們已被玷污，又有瑕疵，正與你們一同歡宴，以自己的詭詐為樂。 14 他們滿眼是淫色，是止不住的罪，引誘心不堅定的人，心中習慣了貪婪，正是被詛咒的種類。 15 他們離棄了正路，走入歧途，隨從比珥t的兒子巴蘭的路；巴蘭就是那貪愛不義的工錢的人， 16 他卻為自己的過犯受了責備，而那不能說話的驢以人的聲音阻止了先知的狂妄。

17 這些人是無水的泉源，是狂風催逼的霧氣，有漆黑的幽暗為他們存留。 18 他們說虛妄誇大的話，用肉體的情慾和淫蕩的事引誘那些剛脫離錯謬生活的人。 19 他們應許人自由，自己卻作了腐敗的奴隸，因為人被誰制伏就是誰的奴隸。 20 倘若他們因認識我們的主和救主耶穌基督而得以脫離世上的污穢，後來又被污穢纏住，被制伏，他們末後的景況就比先前更不好了。 21 他們知道義路，竟背棄了傳授給他們那神聖的誡命，倒不如不知道為妙。 22 俗語說得好，這話正印證在他們身上了： 「狗轉過來吃自己所吐的；」 又說： 「豬洗淨了，又回到爛泥裏打滾。」

2 PETER 2

False Prophets and Teachers

1 Sometimes false prophets spoke to the people of Israel. False teachers will also sneak in and speak harmful lies to you. But these teachers don't really belong to the Master who paid a great price for them, and they will quickly destroy themselves. 2 Many people will follow their evil ways and cause others to tell lies about the true way.

3 They will be greedy and cheat you with smooth talk. But long ago God decided to punish them, and God doesn't sleep.
4 God did not have pity on the angels that sinned. He had them tied up and thrown into the dark pits of hell until the time of judgment.

5 t And during Noah's time, God did not have pity on the ungodly people of the world. He destroyed them with a flood, though he did save eight people, including Noah, who preached the truth.

6  t God punished the cities of Sodom and Gomorraht by burning them to ashes, and this is a warning to anyone else who wants to sin.
7-8  t Lot lived right and was greatly troubled by the terrible way those wicked people were living. He was a good man, and day after day he suffered because of the evil things he saw and heard. So the Lord rescued him.

9 This shows that the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their sufferings and to punish evil people while they wait for the day of judgment.
10 The Lord is especially hard on people who disobey him and don't think of anything except their own filthy desires. They are reckless and proud and are not afraid of cursing the glorious beings in heaven.

11 Although angels are more powerful than these evil beings, t even the angels don't dare to accuse them to the Lord.
12 These people are no better than senseless animals that live by their feelings and are born to be caught and killed. They speak evil of things they don't know anything about. But their own corrupt deeds will destroy them.

13 They have done evil, and they will be rewarded with evil.
They think it is fun to have wild parties during the day. They are immoral, and the meals they eat with you are spoiled by the shameful and selfish way they carry on.t

14 All they think about is having sex with someone else's husband or wife. There is no end to their wicked deeds. They trick people who are easily fooled, and their minds are filled with greedy thoughts. But they are headed for trouble!
15  t They have left the true road and have gone down the wrong path by following the example of the prophet Balaam. He was the son of Beor and loved what he got from being a crook.

16 But a donkey corrected him for this evil deed. It spoke to him with a human voice and made him stop his foolishness.
17 These people are like dried up water holes and clouds blown by a windstorm. The darkest part of hell is waiting for them. 18 They brag out loud about their stupid nonsense. And by being vulgar and crude, they trap people who have barely escaped from living the wrong kind of life.

19 They promise freedom to everyone. But they are merely slaves of filthy living, because people are slaves of whatever controls them.
20 When they learned about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they escaped from the filthy things of this world. But they are again caught up and controlled by these filthy things, and now they are in worse shape than they were at first. 21 They would have been better off if they had never known about the right way. Even after they knew what was right, they turned their backs on the holy commandments they were given.

22 t What happened to them is just like the true saying,
“A dog will come back
to lick up its own vomit.
A pig that has been washed
will roll in the mud.”